


I'll Chase Your Heart (until you let it go)

by blynninja



Category: Akatsuki no Yona | Yona of the Dawn
Genre: Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Falling In Love, Finally, Getting Together, Kissing, Modern AU, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-24
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:55:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23816509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blynninja/pseuds/blynninja
Summary: "He’s been showing her love her entire life, and she’s never paid attention."xAlternately "Hak and Yona finish a movie and realize they love each other and then find out that was the plan all along."Or something.
Relationships: Son Hak/Yona
Comments: 4
Kudos: 47





	1. Just Like Magellan

**Author's Note:**

> Title (work & chapter) from Copperlily's "Map to Your Heart"
> 
> Modern arranged marriage AU, I guess. IDK. Those are a thing in some places, and I thought I’d see what I could come up with.

The family room has gotten steadily darker during their movie marathon, and Hak’s family have all trickled off to bed one by one. Yona’s not sure what time it is, but it’s got to be close to midnight.

They’ve just finished the fourth Harry Potter movie (after excessive pausing so that the boys could discuss each of the tasks and other plot points without missing anything else important), and Yona is glad to see the boys trudge off toward the stairs to their respective rooms. She’d promised them a marathon weekend, so they’ll possibly finish the series Sunday, depending on how often they have to pause the next few movies. They’d spent last night watching the first two, so it only made sense to continue.

She’s snuggled up on a couch next to Hak, who has long since given up trying to keep her from the habit, and raises her head fractionally to look at him.

“Can I just sleep here?”

Her room feels too far away, all the way upstairs at the other end of the house. She could probably ask him to carry her, but he’s been joking about her being too heavy lately.

“I guess if you really wanted to,” Hak yawns. “But Gramps doesn’t sleep in, and he’s not exactly quiet about puttering around the kitchen.”

Yona frowns. He’s got a point. But she’s too comfy to stand up.

“Will you carry me?” she asks meekly, and Hak shifts toward her.

“What?”

“Never mind,” she says quickly, shaking her head, but Hak catches her face between his hands, quirking an eyebrow at her.

“You want me to carry you?”

Yona nods slowly, aware of the blush that’s working its way up her face, and Hak watches her carefully for a minute.

“But I said never mind,” she insists, bringing her hands up to shove lightly at his chest.

“You _don’t_ want me to carry you.” Hak sounds confused and amused, his eyebrow still raised.

“Yes. No!” Yona forces herself to breathe. “If you don’t want to, I can walk.”

Her fingers curl into Hak’s shirt and he hums, one hand sliding down to lift her chin.

The look on his face is one she’s seen only a handful of times over the last few years. Even with how well she knows him, this face always confuses her. There’s no teasing glint in his eyes, no sarcastic edge to his tone, and frankly Yona doesn’t know what to do with him when he’s like this.

“Hak?” she asks, searching his face. “Are you going to let go of me so I can go to bed?”

“Mine’s closest,” Hak says quietly, his eyes almost stormy compared to their regular blue.

“What?” she chokes, going still. Had he just said what she thought she’d heard?

“My bed,” Hak reiterates, his gaze not wavering. “It’s closer than yours. You can sleep in an actual bed without having to climb any stairs.”

The last time she’d shared a bed with Hak, she’d been eight and he’d been ten. He’d let her curl up in a trembling ball, stroking her back as she’d cried over the loss of her parents. They’d woken to Mundok pulling blankets up around them, a sad smile on his face as he’d encouraged them to go back to sleep.

This feels different, though. The way Hak is looking at her isn’t _uncomfortable_ , necessarily, but it’s new and she’s unsure how to feel about it.

“Are you alright, Hak?” she asks, reaching for his face with one shaking hand. He practically hisses as she sets her fingers against his cheek, wondering if he’s sleep-deprived or feverish. She shifts her weight so that one knee slides across his lap, giving her a better angle to see his face.

His hands move with her, fingers still at her chin and cheek. He looks restless, surprised, and a few other things she can’t define as she continues to search his face.

Yona adjusts herself in his lap, a hand on his shoulder to keep herself steady as she pulls herself a little closer with her knees, drawing herself taller to look him in the eye.

“Hak,” she tries again, determined to get to the bottom of his weird comment. “We’re too old for sleepovers like that anymore, at least by ourselves.”

“Gramps is too old-fashioned,” Hak scowls slightly, and the statement rumbles through Yona’s chest with their proximity.

“Because he’s being cautious about a boy and a girl being alone together overnight?” Yona asks, frowning. That rule has applied since before she’d moved in, other than those first couple of nights when she’d insisted on Hak’s company to help her sleep.

Hak doesn’t reply, just keeps staring and running his thumb along her cheekbone.

Yona’s not about to complain about the gesture, but she is ready to go to her actual room. Without Hak.

“Okay, let go,” she says gently, both hands dropping to his shoulders to give her leverage. 

She completely underestimates Hak’s determination, startled to find his hands moving to her hips. She tries to wiggle away from him but only succeeds in tipping forward, her forehead meeting his with a soft _thunk_.

His eyes are… not quite _wild,_ but there’s a controlled sort of chaos there, and Yona swallows thickly.

“Are you going to let go?” she asks, the question sounding braver than she feels, and Hak regards her steadily as she tries to shove herself away again.

His fingers shift from her hips to her back and neck before he pulls her forward. Yona screws her eyes shut and braces for the heavy impact of their foreheads, noses, or something else painful.

But Hak’s grip is controlled, and before Yona knows it, he’s got her pinned to his chest, his lips sealed over hers.

Her eyes fly open as her fingers seek purchase in his shirt, trying to pull away. 

Hak is stronger and more determined, but he’s always been attuned to her feelings. He loosens his hold slightly, enough for Yona to pull herself far enough back to sputter, “What—what are you _doing_?!”

The smirk that he gives her convinces her that he’s gone crazy.

“Thought it was pretty obvious.”

“I—you—what—why?!” she finally hisses, flushing scarlet even as she tries to scowl.

Hak shrugs under her fingers. “Seemed like a good idea.”

“A _good idea?_ ” Yona repeats, incredulous, as Hak sighs.

“Yona, I have loved you since the day you waltzed in here and said you were going to marry Tae-woo.”

Yona stares, slack-jawed, and Hak rolls his eyes and closes her mouth with one careful finger.

“I. Was. _Four._ ” she reminds him, the blush rising again.

“You were,” Hak confirms, his eyes dancing. “And you were the most adorable spitfire I’d ever seen.”

“You were six.”

“And?”

Yona frowns. “And you can’t fall in love when you’re six!”

Hak raises an eyebrow at her. “Then why were you so sure you were going to marry my cousin?”

“Because I was four and he was nice to me!”

“ _I_ was nice to you,” Hak replies, his brow furrowing.

“You were _not!_ ” Yona does not pout. She is too old to pout.

Hak scoffs. “I remember being very nice to you. But apparently not nice enough for you to say you were going to marry me.”

Yona chooses not to respond to that one, dropping eye contact as Hak traces one finger up and down her spine.

“Since I was four?” she asks timidly, meeting his eyes again.

Hak just gazes at her steadily, a small smile on his face. “And more every year.”

Yona blinks, suddenly aware of tears in her eyes, and Hak brushes them away, still smiling softly.

He lets her sit in silence for a few minutes, his hands linking behind her back patiently, and Yona focuses on breathing.

He’s loved her since they were children? How had she never noticed?

It hadn’t looked like the typical romance movie kind of love, she realizes now. Hak has always been patient with her, even when he teases. His way of showing affection and care _is_ to tease and challenge and push her to think about things in new ways.

He’s been showing her love her entire life, and she’s never paid attention.

“Hak,” she breathes, bringing trembling fingers to his cheeks.

He just grins patiently, like he’s been waiting, and she supposes he has—for over a decade.

Yona wonders, vaguely, how willing she would be to wait that long for something.

Her fingers graze his cheeks, finding their way to his neck. His flex at her back, tensing as she brings her face fractionally closer to his.

“Thank you,” she says to the space between them, barely registering Hak’s raised eyebrow as she leans in and presses her lips to his.

Hak responds immediately, his hands shifting up toward her shoulders and his head tilting in a way that startles her.

Without thinking about it, Yona gasps, and Hak chuckles before his teeth graze her lower lip, pulling another gasp from her.

Well, then.

When Hak releases her lip, it’s her turn to get daring. With a shift of her hips, she readjusts her grip on Hak’s neck and runs her tongue experimentally over his.

The groan that rips from his throat is the strangest noise she’s ever heard him make and she pulls back, concerned. His eyes are wide, and mostly dark.

“Do that again,” he demands breathlessly, and Yona’s eyes go wide.

They really shouldn’t be doing this.

Hak practically growls at her, impatience written on his face.

They _really_ shouldn’t be doing this right now.

She scoots backward instead, trying to put distance between them. Hak’s long arms put her at a disadvantage, his hands linking behind her back again to pull her back toward him.

“Hak—” Yona starts, only for him to interrupt her train of thought with a kiss to her jaw that then becomes a slow trail of them down her throat. Apparently, if she’s not going to kiss him, he’s going to kiss her senseless.

And while the others have gone to bed, the family room isn’t exactly private, since it’s open to pretty much every room around it. Any of the boys could walk in on them from multiple angles. Heaven knows that balcony has seen its share of trouble, with four boys to egg each other on in mischief.

“Hak, the balc—”

“Everybody’s asleep,” Hak purrs dismissively around her collarbone, and Yona squirms.

Mundok’s room is practically right above the family room, and sound carries.

She nearly claws at his shoulders, trying to pry him off of her. “Hak, your grandfather could—”

“I could what?” Mundok asks from the room’s archway, and Yona tries not to shriek as Hak finally lets go of her.

“Mundok!” Yona yelps, attempting to scoot away from Hak and fix her rumpled shirt at the same time. “I’m sorry, we—”

Mundok raises a hand and she stops stammering, staring at the ground awkwardly.

Hak just sits quietly, tense next to her.

“You’ve been betrothed since Hak was three,” Mundok begins with a sigh, and Yona’s head snaps back up, eyes wide.

“Your father didn’t want to tell you until you were old enough; didn’t want to influence your relationship too much.”

Yona meets the older man’s gaze, frowning a little as Hak shifts next to her.

“He didn’t want to force us?”

Mundok’s gaze shifts to Hak as he replies with a shrug, “He wanted you to love each other without the betrothal hanging over your heads.”

Yona blinks, processing this information, and Mundok’s good eye meets hers.

“I don’t think he had anything to be worried about.”

Her face goes red again and she feels Hak snort next to her.

“Suddenly the bedroom arrangement makes so much more sense.”

Yona looks at him curiously as it sinks in: Hak’s bedroom on the main floor while hers is upstairs with everyone else’s. She’d thought it was because they’d wanted her to be closer to Mundok in case she’d had nightmares or something, but apparently there had been other reasons, too.

She’d moved in here as a little girl, after her parents’ deaths, and had never really given the arrangement a lot of thought, though she had wondered why the Son house and not, say, her friend Lili’s. 

“Your father wanted you to get to know our family with as few limitations as possible,” Mundok says then, as if reading her mind. “That was always the plan, from the moment you were born. It was in their will that we take care of you if anything happened to both of them. Other than that, your father planned for our families to spend as much time together as possible as you grew up, so you two could get to know each other almost completely.”

“When were you going to tell us?” Hak asks, crossing his arms in that way Yona knows means he’s annoyed but trying to be patient.

“If I hadn’t walked in on this,” Mundok says, raising an eyebrow, “I was going to tell you after your next birthday.”

“You were going to wait ‘til I was _21_ to tell me I had a fiancée?” Hak asks, eyebrow raised right back.

“If you’d both shown any true interest before now, I would have brought it up earlier,” Mundok says slowly, eyeing Yona. “Your father was going to wait until you were 21 unless you’d shown any serious affection for Hak before then.”

Yona blinks, processing this new information.

“What if one of us had decided to date someone before then?” Hak asks, and Yona glances up at him.

Neither of them had, preferring to stick to their friend group in school and not start any drama with the addition of significant others, but what if?

“I wasn’t worried about you choosing anyone but Yona,” Mundok shrugs, and Hak snorts.

“Like you said, since you were six,” the old man grins, and Yona feels Hak freeze next to her as she goes still.

“Spying, old man?” Hak asks evenly, though Yona can feel his fingers twitching against his arms.

“Your entire lives,” Mundok replies seriously. “You’re lucky it was me and not your cousins or Tae-yeon looking over the balcony.”

Yona blanches at that thought, imagining what Han-dae or Tae-woo might have said—or worse, _done_ —if they’d caught her and Hak the way Mundok had.

“What do we do about that now?” Hak asks, and Yona glances back at him.

“Oh, they know,” Mundok says with a smirk. “They just weren’t allowed to say anything.”

“What?” Hak looks as thunderstruck as Yona feels at that revelation, but it gets worse.

“They’ve had a bet going for years.”

Hak’s head falls back against the couch, and Yona’s not sure if he’s laughing or groaning. “Of course they have.”

(Who knew Han-dae and Tae-woo were so good at secret-keeping? Clearly she had underestimated them.)

“You could try to keep them in the dark for a while,” Mundok suggests, and Hak slides an arm around Yona’s shoulders.

“Eh. I think that’ll be too hard now.”

“Suit yourself,” Mundok sighs, and turns to Yona. “If he ever gets to be too much, you let me know, alright?”

Yona feels herself flush but nods, smiling. She slips out of Hak’s reach and steps over to Mundok, wrapping her arms around him tightly.

The old man tenses for just a moment before he returns her hug, patting her head fondly.

“Good night, Mundok,” she smiles as he kisses her forehead and lets her step back over to Hak, who catches her around the waist and tugs her down to him.

Yona dearly hopes he doesn’t start kissing her again. She might just die on the spot.

Instead, he grins at her, tugging her hand so it rests over his heart as he kisses her cheek gently.

“Good night, Yona. Sweet dreams.”

His smile is gentle but his eyes sparkle and Yona stammers out a good night of her own before fleeing around the corner and up the staircase, not daring to look at the family room from the open area at the top of the stairs. Instead she continues around to her room, her face burning at the evening’s progression.

She’d kissed Hak!

The boy she’d spent her entire life pretending not to like!

And they’d been promised to each other practically since she was born!

Arranged marriages weren’t unheard of in their circle, but Yona had never expected to be a part of one.

She’d spent almost 19 years slowly falling in love with the man she had been betrothed to, and it had taken a movie marathon of all things to alert her to his significance in her life.

As she gets ready for bed, her brain replays every smile, every teasing comment, everything she can remember Hak saying that could (or should) have tipped her off to his feelings until now.

It seems so obvious now, looking back, and Yona groans as she falls into bed, wishing she could go back in time and tell herself to love him sooner.

She glances at the photo of her parents on her nightstand before she turns out the lamp, wondering quietly at her father’s intentions.

She dreams of mazes and giant goblets, and all of it leads her to him.


	2. And It Was All For Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Breakfast and conversations.

As Yona practically runs away from him, Hak scrubs a hand over his face and peers at his grandfather.

“I was making sure Tae-yeon was asleep and I thought I heard you two still talking as I headed back to my room,” the old man begins, and Hak waits.

“How long were you eavesdropping for, seriously?”

“I believe you were saying something about me being old-fashioned.”

“Ah.” Hak tries not to wince.

“Anything I should know about from before that part of the conversation?” Mundok’s eyebrow is about as high as it can go.

Hak bites his lip, considering his options.

“I tried to convince Yona she should sleep in my bed instead of on the couch?”

It comes out a question and Hak doesn’t meet his grandfather’s eyes as he continues, “She thought I was going crazy and I think she was ready to run. Before that we were mostly bickering over me carrying her upstairs or her sleeping on the couch.”

“I see.”

Hak dares to look up and finds Mundok staring steadily at him, not judging, but observant.

“I’m not mad at you, Hak,” the old man assures him. “You’ve been in love with that girl since she could talk. I think her first word might have been ‘Hak’.”

Hak scowls but Mundok doesn’t laugh or anything. “Seriously?”

Mundok shrugs. “I can’t remember for sure, but she did say your name an awful lot more than anything else for a while. I think her father was pleased but also jealous.”

Hak snorts. “Can’t blame him.”

“And I can’t blame you for what you’re feeling now,” Mundok says, his expression shifting. “But, Hak—”

“I know, I know,” he interrupts, sighing. “I should be careful. Less aggressive. Probably less hands-y.”

Mundok blinks but snorts in agreement. “Guess I don’t need to have that particular talk.”

Hak pales slightly at the thought but shakes his head. “I’ll control myself better. I promise you won’t have to scold me. Too much.”

Mundok matches his grin with an eye roll but claps a hand over his shoulder.

“Just because you’re betrothed doesn’t mean I’ll allow any funny business. If Yona’s uncomfortable, or your cousins start whistling, or Tae-yeon—”

“I got it,” Hak interrupts, waving a hand. “Slow and simple.”

Mundok squeezes his shoulder fondly. “Good boy. Now go to bed.”

“Good night, Gramps,” he smiles as the old man heads for the stairs. Hak waits a few moments, collecting his thoughts, before getting off the couch and walking the few paces to his bedroom.

Briefly, and not for the first time, he wishes it were Yona’s room above his and not Han-dae and Tae-woo’s.

He falls asleep to visions of kissing Yona every time he’d thought about it growing up, but none of them are quite as satisfying as tonight’s reality.

X

Yona has always slept late on Saturdays, but this is getting ridiculous.

Hak frowns at the clock, tapping his fingers impatiently.

“You gonna eat that or stare at it?” Tae-woo interrupts his brooding, and Hak blinks.

“What?”

Tae-woo points. “Your breakfast. You’ve been ignoring it since Grandpa set the plate down.”

“Oh.”

Truthfully, he doesn’t remember the plate of pancakes being set in front of him.

Tae-woo frowns. “So, are you going to eat those, or can I give them to Tae-yeon?”

Hak sighs, shoving the plate toward his little brother, who giggles delightedly. The giggle turns into a squawk when Han-dae steals a pancake, but Hak largely tunes them out, still watching the clock.

Tae-woo’s elbow digs into his side and Hak catches it distractedly, scowling.

“What?”

“I heard her shower running a little while ago,” Tae-woo assures him, wrenching his arm free with a wince. “She’ll be down soon.”

“How—”

“You only get grumpy like this when Yona’s being slow.” Tae-woo shrugs, one hand snatching Han-dae’s before it can reach yet another pancake.

Hak sighs, resting his head in his palm as his cousins and little brother eat.

True to Tae-woo’s prediction, Yona steps into the kitchen a few minutes later, her hair still a little damp, and Hak goes still because _oh crap_. He _really_ wants to run his fingers through it like that.

Someone nudges him, hard, and Hak whirls to look at Tae-woo, who’s got an eyebrow raised at him. Hak realizes his jaw is hanging open and snaps it shut, nearly choking.

“Easy, Romeo,” Tae-woo smirks, though his eyes hold a little bit of concern, and Hak frowns slightly.

“Good morning, Yona!” Mundok declares brightly as Yona joins him at the stove. “Pancakes?”

(It’s still morning, Hak notes, but only just.)

Yona hums approval, setting a hand on the old man’s arm so she can push herself up and kiss his cheek.

Mundok grins, ruffling her hair, and waves her over to join the boys.

Yona slides onto the breakfast bench next to him without so much as a peep and Hak is pretty sure he’s being ignored.

“Good morning, Tae-yeon. Has Han-dae stolen all of your breakfast again?”

Tae-yeon mumbles something affirmative around a bite of pancake and Yona turns her attention to Han-dae, who holds up his hands. Hak tunes out the chatter, keeping his eyes on Yona. As the conversation progresses, he becomes more and more convinced that she’s ignoring him.

Well. He can change that.

As soon as Mundok sets a plate in front of Yona, Hak snags a pancake without a word, raising an eyebrow as she turns to stare at him.

“What?” he asks when he’s swallowed a bite. “Gramps always gives you more than you can eat.”

Yona sighs, rolling her eyes, but goes back to her conversation with Tae-woo, who catches Hak’s eye long enough to smirk at him.

Eventually, Tae-woo drags Han-dae off so they can get dressed, and Tae-yeon bounces off after them, laughing as the older two stumble toward the stairs.

Mundok watches them go fondly and then turns to Hak.

“I’ll be in the study. Can I trust the two of you to finish cleaning up when you’re done?”

Hak glances at Yona, who’s nodding around a bite of pancake, and waves his grandfather off.

“We’ll take care of it.”

Mundok nods, giving him a long look, and Hak throws his hands behind his head casually.

Satisfied, Mundok spins on his heel and heads the other direction. Hak’s not entirely sure what the old man needs to work on on a Saturday morning, but probably he just wants to hide from the noise of a house full of boys. Their bedrooms are all on the other end of the upstairs from the study, so it makes sense.

Yona sighs next to him and Hak returns his attention to her, observing quietly.

“You haven’t said a word to me since you came down.”

He lets one arm fall to rest at the top of the bench as Yona’s head tips backward to glance up at him. She hardly seems to notice his arm.

“I didn’t want to say something stupid,” she confides quietly, pink blooming on her cheeks.

He shifts, turning toward her a little more. “Like what?”

She shrugs and her hair moves against his arm.

“I don’t know. But I probably would have.”

Hak hums, shifting a little more, and his other hand finds its way to Yona’s hair.

She blinks at him, curious and cautious, before he dips his head to kiss her.

The first thing his brain registers is that she uses an awful lot of syrup.

The second is that he doesn’t mind one bit.

Yona _whimpers_ beneath him, one of her hands gripping his arm as the other shoves at his chest.

Right. Slow.

Hak releases her reluctantly, giving her a lopsided smile.

“Sorry.”

Yona swallows. “You don’t _look_ very sorry.”

She’s not wrong. Hak lets his fingers run through her hair, enjoying the conflicting emotions on her face. She looks torn between telling him to stop and letting him keep going.

“What’s the plan for today? Before movies, anyway?” he asks as her eyes close, and Yona shrugs. 

“Tae-yeon’s been begging to bake cookies again. Maybe we can do that.”

Yona’s head doesn’t move from his arm and Hak takes that as a good sign.

“Are you expecting me to help you with that?”

She opens one eye to look at him curiously. “You’re the one always complaining about my baking.”

“You’re better at baking than cooking,” Hak shrugs before he can stop himself.

Yona stares at him for a moment before she sighs and scoots away.

“We should clean up before we forget about it.”

Hak groans but lets her stand, following suit with a wince as his knee hits the table.

_Every time_.

Yona doesn’t even turn to ask if he’s okay; this happens at least once a week, so she’s used to the routine.

She does turn to look at him as his hand reaches her plate the same time hers does, though, and he raises an eyebrow at her blush.

He lets go of her plate in a hurry and Yona snatches it up carefully, taking it over to the sink to rinse before shifting to open the dishwasher.

Hak times his steps very carefully, setting his hands on either side of Yona’s waist as soon as she turns around. She’s stuck between him and the dishwasher, and he grins.

Yona meets his eyes, cautious and just a little wary, but she doesn’t shove him away.

“Did you need something?” she asks, and her voice comes out a little higher pitched than she probably intends it to.

Hak doesn’t answer, but waits her out.

When she does predictably try to duck under his arms, he chuckles and catches her, his legs tangling with hers carefully.

“Hak,” Yona chides, frowning at him. He ignores it, bringing one hand up to tilt her head gently, his leg sliding between hers.

He really wants to lift her onto the counter, but that seems excessive, so instead he settles for leaning into her space and kissing her until she relaxes and brings her hands up to his face.

When he releases her, Yona actually whines and chases his mouth, tugging him down for one more kiss before he lets his hand fall from her cheek to her waist.

“I KNEW IT! You owe me SO MUCH MONEY!” Han-dae shrieks, and Yona goes pale as Hak looks over her shoulder to find his cousins staring at them from the balcony, Tae-woo face-palming as Han-dae does a victory dance.

“You finally win something, Han-dae?” Hak calls, quirking an eyebrow.

Tae-woo glares at him. “He won by twelve hours. TWELVE, Hak.”

Hak checks the time and grins. “Actually…”

Tae-woo brightens and Han-dae pauses, groaning. “No! What?”

“What exactly was the bet?” Hak asks, keeping his hold on Yona and feeling it when she gives up trying to squirm away from him. “Like, the details?”

Han-dae practically melts onto the floor of the balcony as Tae-woo replies carefully, “That you wouldn’t kiss before you went to bed last night.”

“No time cut-off? Midnight? Witnesses?” Hak prompts.

Tae-woo and Han-dae exchange a look before Tae-woo replies, “We just said before you went to bed last night. But technically midnight is the cut-off for a day, right?”

“Still,” Hak says, then yells, “Gramps!”

Mundok comes grumbling around the corner a few moments later, glaring up at the two troublemakers before he asks, “You rang?”

“What time did you put Tae-yeon to bed last night?”

Mundok squints at him. “A little before midnight. Why?”

“You’re sure it was _before_ midnight?” Hak asks, trying to contain his laughter.

“’Course I’m sure. I checked the clock as I came out of his room and heard you two arguing about sleepovers. By the time I got to my doorway, you were kissing like idiots. Figured I had to interrupt before you got too distracted.”

The Han-dae puddle on the balcony floor cackles at the description as Hak repeats, “And you’re sure it was _before midnight_?”

“I remember telling you to go to bed at midnight, so yes,” Mundok says patiently, though there’s a frown on his face.

“Sorry, Han-dae,” Hak says, swinging his gaze back to his cousin. “Better luck next time?”

Tae-woo grins, leaning down to scoop his brother up off the floor. “Come on, little bro. Let’s go check your piggy bank…”

Their squabbling eventually fades as they reach their bedroom, and Mundok sighs, raising an eyebrow at Hak.

“That’s all?”

Hak smiles. “That was it. Thanks! You can go back to hiding now.”

Mundok stares at him for a very long moment before replying, “Am I gonna have to keep you two apart?”

Before Hak can reply, the old man shakes his head, answering his own question. “Who’m I kidding? I couldn’t keep you apart if I had magic powers. Just…”

Hak tilts his head at the pause and Yona twists to watch Mundok’s face.

“Well, save some things for the honeymoon, huh?”

Yona’s face goes red as Mundok turns and heads for his study, and Hak can only laugh.

Yona darts away from him, around the island and toward the stairs, squeaking something about finding Tae-yeon. Hak watches her go with a grin.

How do arranged marriages work, anyway? Does he still have to propose?

Grinning, Hak wanders over to the study, rapping his knuckles against the open door.

“Hey, Gramps, if Yona and I get married but don’t want to move, does that mean we get your room?”

Mundok’s head turns his direction very slowly and Hak feels his glare before he sees it.

A pen whizzes past his head and he laughs, backing up. “Okay, okay.”

“I would sooner build you a tiny house in the backyard.”

Hak pauses. “Wait, really?”

Mundok sighs. “Or put you both in Yona’s room, I suppose. But given that I can hardly keep you away from her now, I can only imagine—”

Hak sputters. “You don’t have to finish that sentence!”

His grandfather raises an eyebrow as if to make a point and Hak feels himself flush.

“I meant to ask. How does this work, anyway? Are we already considered engaged, or do I still have to formally propose, or is there paperwork or something?”

Mundok gestures to the chair across from his desk and Hak sits, twiddling his thumbs anxiously.

“I suppose you should know sooner or later.”

The old man pulls an envelope from his desk drawer, handing it over. “That’s the paperwork that Il and I drew up when you were kids.”

Hak takes it carefully, holding Mundok’s gaze.

“I’ll let you read it, but the basic agreement is that you both just have to agree to the idea. You can propose if you want. I think Yona might be more inclined to say yes if you do something special. But it’s up to you. You’re the ones getting married.”

“So… we could elope tomorrow and that would still work?” Hak asks hopefully.

“I think Tae-yeon would be devastated to not be included in the wedding,” Mundok assures him, and Hak deflates a little.

“That’s true. I’d hate to disappoint the little guy.”

“The longer you take to plan, the longer I can take to have someone build you your own place,” the old man says slowly, and Hak raises an eyebrow.

“You’ve been waiting most of your life to marry the girl. I’m sure you can wait a few months or a year.”

Hak blinks and his grandfather shrugs, waving him away. “Go read that in your room or something. I need some peace and quiet.”

“Do you want me to show Yona?” Hak asks as he stands to go, gripping the envelope tightly.

“I’d recommend you read it alone first, but you’re a grown-up. Do what you want.”

The look on Mundok’s face is exasperated but fond and Hak sighs.

“She’s going to bake cookies or something with Tae-yeon. Maybe I’ll help with that first.”

“Make sure they don’t destroy my kitchen,” Mundok warns before he turns back to his computer screen.

“Aye aye, cap’n,” Hak grins quietly as he leaves the room. He takes the envelope to his room, setting it on his desk to read later, and then heads back to the kitchen, waiting for Yona and Tae-yeon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I maaaaaay add another chapter or so to this, but this is all I had typed out so far. (shrug)
> 
> House inspo [[1]](https://www.architecturaldesigns.com/house-plans/5-bed-craftsman-with-outdoor-living-23549jd), [[2]](https://www.dfdhouseplans.com/plan/8021/), [[3]](https://www.architecturaldesigns.com/house-plans/secluded-master-suite-with-fireplace-23199jd)

**Author's Note:**

> I don’t entirely know where this came from. Probably a host of other Pinterest-discovered prompts. It literally started with the “betrothed since” line and everything else kind of slotted into place around it. It was supposed to be short. HAHAHAHAHAHA. Ten pages later, I realized… No, not short. At all. (I started this on TUESDAY. And now it's 5600 words and counting.)
> 
> I’m working off the idea of them being 18-20 ish, because that feels better than Yona being 16. Keeping the idea from my Childhood series of the Wind Tribe kiddos being cousins and all living with Mundok. IDK why but I kind of like the idea of Han-dae and Tae-woo being either fraternal twins or adopted brothers like Hak and Tae-yeon.
> 
> I have house floor plan links saved for this thing, guys. I don't even know how many hours I spent looking for the right floor plan for this stupid fic. Maybe I'll link them later. I maybe should've put Yona downstairs and all the boys upstairs, but the conversation felt better with his room closer?? I tried to adjust it and it just felt weird.
> 
> Running off the idea of two HP movies per night Th/Fri and we'll see what happens from there. So Friday night, PoA and GoF is approximately five hours. Factoring in not watching the credits and pausing for bickering, I'm rounding up to five and a half or six hours, so they started at like 6pm to be done around midnight. -shrug-


End file.
